Replacing breastmilk or formula with “homemade” recipes or any type of milk carries dangers for babies.
Five years ago, Marina Chaparro worked as a pediatric nutritionist at Miami Children’s Hospital. She remembers one baby showing symptoms such as weight loss and vomiting.
The infant suffered from ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when organs break down fatty acids for energy, releasing ketone bodies and making the blood acidic.
Initially, Ms. Chaparro and her team believed the child had type 1 diabetes.
However, following a series of tests, the baby’s condition was caused by malnutrition. The child was on a diet of almond milk.
Fortunately, the baby was released from the hospital a few days later.
What are the dangers?
Milk made from nuts is not a substitute for breast milk or formula in babies under one year old, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is the case for cow’s milk and other milks that do not contain dairy products.
Baby formula is “really hard to remake, it’s really hard to get that balance that food scientists have been studying for years. Not to mention the risk of contamination and infection (when making your own infant formula), explains Marina Chaparro.
Due to the shortage of formula milk last year, parents are increasingly turning to “homemade” recipes found on the Internet.
According to doctors, diluting formula can also be dangerous. Lethargy, seizures, sodium deficiency and a drop in oxygen levels (potentially fatal) can be consequences.
“Baby formulas are regulated as tightly as any prescription drug in terms of the ingredients they contain, to ensure that the baby’s kidneys, liver and electrolytes are developing,” said the Dr. Owais Durrani, a doctor in Texas, to Insider.
With information from Insider
